Laundry Skin

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a laundry skin that covers the external surfaces of laundry baskets/hampers/receptacles through the elastic and/or non-elastic properties of the material used to construct the laundry skin. The laundry skin is not designed or intended to cover the openings or internal surfaces of laundry baskets/hampers/receptacles. The current laundry basket skin device can include attachments, which can be secured with/without the aid of fasteners, to enable the user to use the laundry basket for a variety of purposes including but not limited to privacy/garment protection, self-expression, decoration, education, advertising, and entertainment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of laundry containers. More specifically, the present invention—laundry skin—relates to a method and device for covering the external surfaces of laundry baskets, laundry hampers, laundry hamper lids, and other ordinary laundry receptacles and the attaching of other elements to the covering (skin) with or without a fastener. The present disclosure describes the laundry basket/hamper skin/cover and methods of making the item. The laundry skin can transform a laundry basket/hamper/receptacle into a tool that can be used for a variety of purposes including but not limited to decorative, educational, and advertising purposes.

2. Description of the Related Art

Despite the ubiquity of laundry baskets/hampers/receptacles in households around the world, laundry baskets/receptacles are generally considered to be a tool to simply hold dirty/clean clothes, until the clothes need to be laundered/folded. Therefore, a wide range of individuals have sought to make laundry baskets more aesthetically pleasing and functional. An example is the patent application for a Covered Laundry Basket device (Pub. No.: US2016/0115646 A1; Apr. 28, 2016; Reynolds, Cheryl (Pawtucket, R.I.)), which describes a laundry basket apparatus that “covers a top opening of a laundry basket while transporting laundry.” Yet, no known entities have described a way to provide a removable laundry basket/receptacle covering that can be used as a tool of self-expression, decoration, education, advertising, and the like.

Current plastic laundry baskets/hampers/receptacles have no external covering, and other non-plastic laundry baskets/hampers/receptacles typically have permanent internal covers, which cannot be removed for cleaning or replacement without damaging the laundry basket/hamper/receptacle. Non-plastic laundry hampers sold commercially have permanent fabric covers that adhere to the internal wall(s) of the product. As they currently exist, the space on plastic laundry baskets and fabric covered hampers are heavily underutilized and leave very limited room for self-expression among other purposes, other than a mere laundry container. The present laundry basket cover/skin invention aims to remedy this problem by using a removable external cover, as well as attachments to solve this problem.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a laundry skin, intended to cover the external surfaces of a laundry basket/hamper/receptacle with/without attached or attachable material that can be temporarily or permanently appended, during or after the manufacturing process, to any part of the device. The attachments can extend or suspend from the body of the apparatus or other attachments and attachment methods include, but are not limited to, Velcro, snaps, buttons, elastic, thread, adhesives, and compression. The laundry basket skin device can be made from stretchable-permeable, stretchable-semi-permeable, or stretchable-non-permeable material, including but not limited to organic and/or synthetic-, plant-, and plastic-based material, Attachments can be made from stretchable or non-stretchable material that is permeable, semi-permeable, or non-permeable material, including but not limited to organic and/or synthetic-, plant-, and plastic-based material. The operation of the present invention includes the temporary attachment of the device to the exterior of laundry baskets, hampers, and receptacles, for purposes including but not limited to self-expression/decoration, advertising, education, and entertainment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention as installed on a laundry basket/receptacle.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention as installed on a laundry basket/receptacle.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the wall and skin of the present invention as installed on a laundry basket/receptacle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the wall and skin of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of an uninstalled embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of an uninstalled embodiment of the present invention FIG. 6

REFERENCE NUMBERS IN THE DRAWINGS

-   -   1. Base receptacle     -   2. Wall     -   3. Outer Surface of Wall     -   4. Inner Surface of Wall     -   5. Bottom     -   6. Inner Cavity     -   7. Opening of Inner Cavity     -   8. Skin     -   9. Additional Layer     -   10. Structure for adhering additional layer to skin

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The present invention discloses a system that comprises a base receptacle 1 having a wall 2, a bottom 5, and an inner cavity 6 for storing an item. The receptacle can be of any shape known in the art, such as being substantially round or oval in shape, or may be substantially square or rectangular having four sides, as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In a more preferred embodiment, the receptacle is a laundry basket or hamper or similar receptacle. The inner cavity 6 is bound by the wall 2 and bottom 5. The inner cavity 6 has an opening 7 for receiving items. The wall comprises an outer surface 3 and an inner surface 4. The system further has a skin 8 for covering the wall of the receptacle without covering the opening into the inner cavity, with an additional layer 9 attached to the skin. FIG. 3 shows a cross section depiction of a portion of wall of the present invention, showing the relation between the outer surface of the wall 3, the skin 8, the structure for adhering the additional layer to the skin 10, and the additional layer 9. The structure for adhering the additional layer to the skin 10 can be comprised of Velcro, Velcro, snaps, buttons, elastic, thread, adhesives, compression, or other means to adhere an additional layer to the skin. FIGS. 4 and 5 show uninstalled embodiments of the present invention.

The skin is designed to cover the outer surface of the wall of the receptacle through elastic properties that develop a form fitting structure. The form-fitting structure is obtained through the manufacturing process where each laundry skin is measured and manufactured to fit a range of patented and un-patented laundry baskets and other laundry receptacles. The challenging manufacturing process requires more than average skills, including design and development to ensure utility for existing laundry baskets/hampers/receptacles while ensuring form and function for attachments, designs, and additional layers. The skin can be adapted for temporary or permanent adherence. The additional layer can be adapted for educational, decorative, or advertising purposes. For example, the laundry skin device could be used for a variety of uses including but not limited to teaching/exploring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) concepts, displaying graphical/text-based information about movies/events/products/services, or expressing oneself by decorating a laundry receptacle in a way that reflects an individual's personal likes/preferences.

In preferred embodiments, the additional layer may be selected from the group consisting of figures, shapes, letters, patches, electronic displays, graphical user interfaces, and nonelectronic displays. In other preferred embodiments, the structure for attachment of at least one additional layer can consist of adhering to said skin, extending from said skin, suspending from said skin, wired connection to said skin, and wireless connection to said skin. In other preferred embodiments, the structure for attachment of at least one additional layer can consist Velcro, snaps, buttons, elastic, thread, adhesives, and compression. The skin of the present invention is manufactured from permeable or non-permeable material, which can be preferably selected from the group consisting of fabric, plant, and plastic derived materials. The structure for adhering the skin to the base receptacle is preferably selected from the group consisting of elastic materials, non-elastic materials, fastening devices, strings, and rope, though any method or structure known to those skilled in the art may be used.

The laundry skin device of the present invention provides the utility of

-   -   (1) protecting the exteriors of laundry baskets, laundry         hampers, and laundry receptacles,     -   (2) partially concealing the contents of laundry baskets,         laundry hampers, and laundry receptacles     -   (3) providing privacy protection of contents of laundry baskets,         laundry hampers, and receptacles,     -   (4) provide decorative and/or artistic patterns to cover the         outside of laundry baskets, laundry hampers, and laundry         receptacles, and     -   (5) provide interactive aesthetics and devices for the purposes         including but not limited to self-expression, education,         advertising, and entertainment.

The device of the present invention may be accomplished by any method known in the art. This can include any method of attaching, combining, joining, and or adhering material to develop the overall shape, size, and aesthetic of the device and aesthetic of the material preparation. It can also include the printing, dying, coloring, and cutting of material for the body of the device and attachments.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invent 

We claim:
 1. A system comprising: a. a base receptacle having a wall, a bottom, and an inner cavity for storing an item, said inner cavity bound by said wall and bottom, wherein said inner cavity has an opening for receiving said item, wherein said wall comprises an outer surface and an inner surface, and b. a skin for covering outer surface of said wall without covering said opening, said skin comprises structure for adhering to said base receptacle wall and structure for attachment of at least one additional layer.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said skin is adapted for adhering to the outer surface of the wall of said base receptacle.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said receptacle is selected from the group consisting of laundry basket and laundry hamper.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said skin is adapted for temporary adherence.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein said skin is adapted for permanent adherence.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein said additional layer is adapted for educational, decorative, or advertising purposes.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein said additional layer is selected from the group consisting of figures, shapes, letters, patches, electronic displays, graphical user interfaces, and nonelectronic displays.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said structure for attachment of at least one additional layer consists of adhering to side of said skin, extending from side of said skin, suspending from side of said skin, wired connection to side of said skin, and wireless connection to side of said skin.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said structure is selected from the group consisting of Velcro, snaps, buttons, elastic, thread, adhesives, and compression.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein said skin is manufactured from permeable or non-permeable material.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein said material is selected from the group consisting of fabric, plant, and plastic derived materials.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein said structure for adhering side of said skin to said base receptacle is selected from the group consisting of elastic materials, non-elastic materials, with or without fastening devices, strings, and rope.
 13. A skin adapted for covering a wall of a laundry receptacle without covering an opening of said laundry receptacle, wherein said skin comprises structure for adhering to said laundry receptacle wall and structure for attachment of at least one additional layer.
 14. The skin of claim 13 adapted for adhering to an outer surface of the wall of said laundry receptacle.
 15. The skin of claim 13 adapted for temporary adherence.
 16. The skin of claim 13 adapted for permanent adherence.
 17. The skin of claim 13, wherein said additional layer is adapted for educational, decorative, or advertising purposes.
 18. The skin of claim 13, wherein said additional layer is selected from the group consisting of figures, shapes, letters, patches, electronic displays, graphical user interfaces, and nonelectronic displays.
 19. The skin of claim 13, wherein said structure for attachment of at least one additional layer consists of adhering to side of said skin, extending from side of said skin, suspending from side of said skin, wired connection to side of said skin, and wireless connection to side of said skin.
 20. The skin of claim 19, wherein said structure is selected from the group consisting of Velcro, snaps, buttons, elastic, thread, adhesives, and compression.
 21. The skin of claim 13, wherein said skin is manufactured from permeable or non-permeable material.
 22. The skin of claim 13, wherein said material is selected from the group consisting of fabric, plant, and plastic derived materials.
 23. The skin of claim 13, wherein said structure for adhering side of said skin to said base receptacle is selected from the group consisting of elastic materials, non-elastic materials, fastening devices, strings, and rope. 